Danone has announced an investment of EUR240m (US$255m) that will see it construct an infant formula facility in Cuijk in the Netherlands
The facility will start production in late 2017 and manufacture Danone’s early life nutrition brands including Aptamil and Nutrilon for both standard and specialised products.
Danone said the new plant represents its “largest investment” in European production capabilities and will double the French firm’s production capacity in the Netherlands. Output will be exported to more than 80 countries worldwide.
Danone’s European infant formula business has seen sales lifted by growing demand for infant formula manufactured in Europe from markets such as China. In its most recent financial update, Danone revealed early life nutrition sales were up 10.9% in the third quarter.
In a statement released today (2 December) Danone said the new facility would enable it to further capitalise on “strong and growing demand for its international early life nutrition brands”.
“Building our new production plant in Cuijk is a major step for Danone and Nutricia. It will give us the capacity we need to meet rising demand for our early life nutrition products, and is consistent with our 2020 roadmap calling for strong, profitable and sustainable growth. We are also delighted to be making this investment in the Netherlands, where our Nutricia brand has had a proud heritage stretching back over more than 100 years,” Felix Martin Garcia, EVP of Danone’s early life nutrition division, said.
Cuijk was chosen to capitalise on the “expert know-how of current staff” and for the site’s proximity to Danone’s research and development centre in Utrecht, which is the company’s global hub for research dedicated to early life nutrition and advanced medical nutrition.
